This year would be different.  This year those rose bushes wouldn't win in the yearly spring pruning battle. This year I wouldn't have the scars from the battle upon my body.  

Why do I do this every year?  It's simple.  I love having fresh cut flowers such as roses in my house, so I have been willing to tackle this annual task. This year I was better prepared. I wore long sleeves, my thick Duluth overalls and had gloves on as I worked on pruning back the rose bushes.   In the past, the rose bushes with their thorns have left evidence  upon me that I have tackled the job of pruning them.   I was hoping to avoid that this year.  And it worked or so I thought. I came out with not a single scratch. Unfortunately right as I was cleaning up the area one little thorn tore right through my glove,  and somehow in the process a splinter entered my hand. 

​Usually it is best to immediately remove a splinter.  I didn’t.  I left it under my skin.  It didn’t really hurt and I thought it would just work out of my skin naturally.

Only it didn’t.  And it has been a month.  This little splinter has become permanently embedded under my skin, becoming a tiny little irritation that I look at and feel frequently.  An irritation that could possibly continue to grow even possibly to infection.  So I must get out the tools; the tweezers, magnifying glass, and perhaps even sharp edge of a razor blade to remove the splinter.  What would have been so easy to remove is now going to be a major pain. 

As I have been chastising myself for not removing the splinter the day it entered  my skin, I have been comparing  that with the little annoyances or irritations that come into our spiritual lives.  Both need to be removed quickly or damage can be done.    A physical splinter is really minor compared to the splinters we allow into our hearts - disrupting our love for one another.  It starts innocently, we simply become annoyed with a situation or a person.   It is either something someone says or does that we allow to get under our skin, and annoy us.  Perhaps it is repeated annoyances with another.  These begin to grow and fester rapidly morphing into a major grievance.  Forgiveness is no where to be seen. We begin to think ill of the person, perhaps we try to avoid the person or worse yet speak ill of the one we have allowed to get us into a full blown state of contention. 

I wonder if this is what happened with two sisters in Christ, Euodia and Syntyche, that Paul speaks of in the book of Philippians?  These two women will forever be known as the two sisters who couldn’t get along. 

Therefore my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord my beloved.  I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.  Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.    Philippians 4: 1-3

Take a closer look at this.  These two women were workers in the Kingdom, sharing with Paul in his struggle for the gospel of Christ.  Wow.  That is amazing to be mentioned in the word of God as a fellow worker for the cause of Christ.  They must have been hard working women who put Christ first  choosing to commit to work for His cause- to further the gospel.  

But.

What an awful little word, three letters that can often negate the good.  Three little letters that when put together can be like a thorn ripping out the good and replacing with pain. 

But.

They couldn’t get along.  They were out of harmony and therefore causing disruption in the work and the love of the church at Philippi.  There was a splinter festering in their hearts. To the point that the Apostle Paul had to mention it in his letter- to this group of Christians whom he considered his crown and joy.  His plea was to help these two women, these two workers for the Lord - to get along.   How sad to be known as the two women who couldn't get along. 

While we will never know the source of the splinter nor the outcome of Paul’s admonition, I do wonder.

I wonder if Euodia and Syntyche prayed earnestly for each other.

I wonder if Euodia and Syntyche tried to talk to one another about the splinter between them.

I wonder if Eudoia and Syntyche loved - really truly loved- one another.


Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8
​

​It’s time for me to remove the splinter in my hand.  I've allowed it to stay for too long, so now I must do the hard - slightly painful work - of removing the foreign object before it becomes a permanent part of my skin - potentially damaging the tissue they are under. 

Perhaps it’s also time to remove splinters from our hearts - and do the hard work of praying and loving those who have gotten under our skin, before it festers,  damaging our ability to love unconditionally as our Lord wants us to. 

I hope that Euodia and Syntyche were able to remove the splinter that caused the disharmony.  I hope they followed the rest of the Apostle Paul's admonition found in Chapter 4 of Philippians.   Please forgive my paraphrase of Philippians 4: 6-8.

~Be anxious for nothing  (Don't get all worked up about the things that irritate, or bother)
~Let your requests  (anything your are concerned about ) be known to God
~Have a grateful heart when you do so
~Think on the true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and good (about the other person- or whatever is annoying to you)
~Dwell on the good


Thats how we remove splinters from our hearts and in so doing cover a multitude of sins.  

It's time to get serious.  Way past serious.  Serious about doing something about these weak sauce arms of mine.  I am aware of the fact that the only way to strengthen my arms is with weights.  But oh how I really really don't like working with weights.  I would rather run for miles and miles than work with weights.  I'ld rather be pricked with needles than work with weights.  I'ld rather...oh never mind, you get the idea.  As a little 3 year old child has said, "I just can't want to!".  That's my mentality when it comes to weight training. I come up with every excuse in the book to avoid it. 

​So my dilemma is just how badly do I want stronger arms? Enough to push past the excuses and the "I can't want to's"? Or am I willing to settle and what will I be settling for?  As I have pondered this question, I realize that if I don't do the hard work now, I could possibly be giving up things that are still very important to me.  I might not be able to pick up my grandkids who are getting heavier by the day. Nor would I be able to garden as easily, or to work the horses, lifting heavy saddles.  All because I let  excuses rule me, instead of determination.  Not any more! Age is becoming an enemy in the strength department.  I can not afford to do nothing while time marches on.

It is no coincidence that as I have begun to work on strengthening my arms, I have also been working on developing stronger, deeper, more specific, fervent prayer.  There is an interesting parallel between physical strength and spiritual strength. Both take hard work and determination and both have an enemy to be fought against and overcome.  The enemy of prayer is Satan.  He is a master of distraction whose aim is to derail us spiritually.  When his strategies are deployed, our minds fill with negativity, worry, fear and self-doubt.  We become satisfied with haphazard, rote, generic prayer, something done out of duty, or only when there is a pressing need.  Passionless, powerless prayers.  Weak flabby arms.  Put that picture in your mind, because that's what weak prayers are.  Not very effective. 

I'm not satisfied with that. I've got too much to pray for and too much to do to succumb to either weak prayer or weak arms.  I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure there are people who need my prayers, and I will be letting them down to just accept the status quo of praying.  Nope - I want the deep, specific, fervent, pray with out ceasing kind of prayers.  I want prayer to be as easy and as vital to life as breathing.  I want to do battle in prayer; to go to war in prayer, for this country, for my loved ones, for His kingdom. 

So how does this happen?  Prayer is labor intensive.  How do we go from desire to depth?  How do we move from wanting a deeper more effectual prayer life to actually having one?  

The same way I am trying to get stronger arms.  Here are 5 principles I am using to grow stronger physically and spiritually.

1.  You can't do it alone.  Period.   End. Of. Story.  
      You've got to enlist a partner, someone to come alongside you encouraging you doing this with you.  Being accountable to
       another person is a very effective tool to getting anything done.

2.  You need training.  You must read and get information.  Become a student of what you are hoping to grow stronger in.
      Ask for advice from a trusted stronger source.

3.  You have got to get in the water, so to speak.  You've got to jump in with both feet.  Just start.  Not tomorrow...today.

4.  You have to get into a groove, a routine, a habit.  Plan it out.  Write it down in your planner.. Put it on your to-do list- daily.

5.  You have to be fully aware of how hard it will be - at first.   Realize you have an enemy- Satan- who will pull every trick in his 
      arsenal to derail you and defeat you.



​In my desire to  grow stronger in prayer, I have enlisted others, and we are currently reading scriptures on prayer and reading through a excellent book on prayer by Priscilla Shirer, "FERVENT - A woman's battle plan for serious, specific and strategic prayer."    In it she writes,

"If I were your enemy (Satan), I'ld want to devalue the most potent weapons in your arsenal."

What a true statement!  When we devalue prayer, by not praying effectively,  we handicap ourselves. We take our most powerful weapon, a weapon designed to help us be victorious and joyful in our Christian walk, and hang it up to gather dust.  The subtitle of her book, " A battle plan for serious, specific and strategic prayer,"  is what our prayers should be.  That's what fervent is.  Fervent prayer is having prayers so saturated in faith that Satan's fiery darts can't get through.  Powerful.  Passionate. 
Purposeful. 


He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  Psalms 18:34


What about you?  What bow of bronze are you being called to bend...in prayer?  Make no mistake, we are in a war, and we must train for battle.   We can't afford not to.  There is an enemy to defeat.



Authors note  

Thanks Meg, Brit and Joan for coming alongside me to strengthen prayer muscles.  Thanks Brenda for being my arm strengthening partner.  And Cody- my patient eldest son- thank you for writing out the plan, and going to the gym with two grey haired women patiently teaching us how to use the equipment.  You are a tough trainer.  I'm still sore!

 "Be still and know that I am God"   Psalms 46:10
                                            
Stillness.  Moments of stillness that happen upon us unexpectedly have a way of sharpening our life's focus.  Moments that take away all other thoughts, leaving you with a sense of wonder.  For the briefest beat of one's heart these moments bring an ethereal  connection deep in one's soul to something far beyond yourself.  

These stilling moments come in many forms.  I've been blessed lately to have several such stilling moments:
  ~a child whom I didn't know, taking my hand and singing her blessing over me
 ~seeing an ever busy hummingbird alight upon a branch
 ~thinking of the song 'Hallelujah'' and then hearing my grandchild sing it in another room

These are small things, as stilling moments often are, yet they captured me, focusing me on one thing and one thing only.  Each of these moments humbled me, quieted me, and for the briefest of time I had no thoughts, no awareness of anything, except of the presence of and profound love of God.  
 
I believe our Father in heaven delights in giving us these moments, these gifts, these glimpses into the awe that is Him.

I also believe in this ever busy insanity of the world in which we live, when our minds are bombarded every second with myriads of sounds, sights, media messages, to-do lists, responsibilities, and the accompanying processing of thoughts and feelings, we can get offtrack and weary-oh so weary. 

That is why God gifts us with those special moments-a heartbeat's glance into the presence of the Almighty.  It is Him saying, just be still.  I've got this.  I am the great I AM.  I am the Creator. I am in charge.  Rest in me and trust me.  Just know that I AM.

I've started praying for these moments.  To appreciate and recognize these small moments that are all around me - the unseen realm of the spiritual places.   God can orchestrate all of His creation, and I just ask to have eyes to see.  

Which is what I asked during the two rainy days my husband and I spent in the Belizean jungle. I half prayed-half hoped to see a Toucan in the wild.  Toucans are notoriously shy, canopy dwellers, who stay in shelter when it rains.  I was expecting a lot. I kept my camera ready at all times, except the day we were to leave.  It was packed.  It was 6 o'clock in the morning, dawn and the rain were breaking as we walked quietly to the open breakfast area waiting for our ride.  As we sat there- off in the distance -my eye caught sight of movement and color.  I moved slowly closer and then stood perfectly still.  For what I saw was not one, but three toucans feeding on some watermelon and cantalope put out on a feeder for them.  Three!  (I have a thing about the number three)  

A tear rolled down my eye.  Because suddenly it wasn't about the birds, it was about God,
who gave me this gift- this amazing moment, in which all I could sense was the presence of the great I AM. 

When He admonishes us in the Psalms to be still, He isn't simply asking us to slow down our fast paced lives and minds. He is asking us to STOP and be aware, to be fully conscious of His presence in our lives. He wants to be KNOWN.  Fully and completely, no masks, no pretending, no scripture memory type of 'I know God' boasting.   We are simply to bask in the presence of Jehovah God, the great I AM - knowing that nothing else really matters in this short life we are in now, expect to know Him and walk with Him.  

Praise God for the moments- those wonderful moments He gifts to us; those moments we are allowed just a tiny glimpse beyond the veil into the spiritual places.  All our senses stilled yet heightened as we KNOW Him- His very real presence encompassing us, filling us with wonder and a profound sense of love.  Can you even imagine what heaven will be like?  

​                                                   
​

On our last full day in Belize, my husband and I had chosen to spend time in the jungle. I sat in solitude looking out at the lush tropical vegitation. The sounds of the jungle were lulling me into a deeper state of rest.  The gentle rain, songs of the birds and frogs, even the occasional bark of the howler monkeys were  stilling me within.   I was in quiet reflection, listening to my heart and mind, trying to process the previous days spent with the Belizean brethren. I kept trying to put into words the experience and how I felt.   I knew upon our arrival back home, the question ," How was your trip?," would be asked many times.  So how was I to describe it - in a short concise answer?  Exhilarating, edifying, exciting, wonderful, humbling?  No- none of those words described how I felt. The only word that kept coming up was full.   My heart is full, mi corazon esta lleno. There's no other word to describe how I felt. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say my heart was overflowing, so much so that tears spilled out easily when goodbyes had to be said to our Belizean brothers and sisters in Christ.

My husband and I went with another couple to  Northern Belize, which is the farming area of Belize,  fields and fields of sugar cane were in the process of being harvested.  We were working with two churches there, one in Orange Walk town, and one in the tiny village of San Narciso.   Our goal was to teach, strengthen and encourage these mostly first generation Christians, these hungry babes in Christ, and perhaps give a shot in the arm to the mature Christians who are there working among them.  I felt as if we were transported back to a 1st century church.  The level of enthusiasm for the word of God, and for each other was immediately apparent.  Their hunger to learn and understand was humbling. It reminded me of the Ethiopian eunuch, who when Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, the eunuch said, "How can I, unless someone teach me."  

And so we did.  We tried to share the meat of the gospel, and tried to encourage those already laboring there. We had men's and women's studies, and combined preaching and teaching sessions.  In the little village congregation we spent 7 hours one Saturday in mens and women classes, in singing, in praying, and feasting.   I have never experienced such hospitality.  (And all without Pinterest folded napkins and elaborate decorations!) We had a meal in which they shared what they had, pooling it together to produce a feast not just for the stomach but for the heart. True hospitality isn't about the table or the food, it's about sharing one's heart. Hospitality seeks to bless the recipient, and bless they did.  Full, overflowing full, is how much they blessed us.

We spent 10 wonderful days with the brethren in Belize.  And we fell in love.  Not with the area-(where we were staying was NOT a tourist destination!)  We fell in love with them.  We were enamored by their hunger for God and their gentle way.  I miss the Belizean greeting, of a kiss on the cheek.  I miss how they honor each other-especially the elderly.  I miss the children-oh the children-who so easily come to you and hug you and hold your hand and want to sit near you. I miss the simplicity of their devotion to Christ.  I miss being called 'Seester', in that beautiful accent.  I miss sitting around a table with a cup of coffee in hand with open Bibles, learning of God.  I miss singing in Spanish-or 'trying' to sing in Spanish!  I miss the emphasis on the spiritual, not the physical.  

Yet, they have their problems, their struggles.  Satan is active everywhere the Lord's people are trying to grow.  His church is perfect, yet the people within are broken, forgiven sinners, whom He is restoring and transforming.  We are all- even on our best day- a forgiven sinner.  So yes, the churches in Belize have their own set of struggles, they have things to overcome. But they have a hunger for knowledge, a love for each other, and a humility of spirit that I personally don't often see in the churches in America. So though they are in what we would call a third world country where poverty is the rule not the exception, they are RICH, oh so rich. It is that richness of spirit that I miss so much. Oh that we could all attain to that richness of spirit.

This scripture is inscribed on the sign of the door to the San Narciso village church.  It's not just a sign on a building, it is who they are.
 So then those who had received his word were baptized...and they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2: 41-42  (emphasis mine)

This depth of devotion is what spilled over into me, filling me up to overflowing.  Devotion: pure, undefiled, simple~ not dependent on outside circumstances or events, not dependent on what we have or don't have, not dependent on how much time or energy or ability we have. Devotion to learn, to grow, to love and to serve.  A devotion which produces a fruit as evident as the bananas and papayas that grew everywhere.  A fruit called joy, which fills their hearts, and any others who are blessed enough to be a recipient of their outpouring of love. A joy that transcends anything this world has to offer.  

I've been waiting patiently.  Waiting and watching now for several months.  Waiting for the birds to find the feeder I set up for them them this winter.  

I set up feeders in the spring and summer, when it is easier for me to get out and about in the yard, but until this year, I hadn't put feed out for the birds in the winter.

I was inspired to do so by two events.  One being,  I saw this picture,  and thought how lovely it would be to look out my window and see the birds feeding up close.  The other event that inspired me to set up a winter feeder was actually a thought that came from pondering how to encourage a younger Christian.  This younger Christian admittedly has a rough road, and has great need.  Choices made earlier in life have led to long term consequences.  Consequences that damper her spirit greatly.  In hearing her story and visiting with her, I asked if she reads the Word of God.  She glanced down and softly said,  "No, not much".  She is in fellowship with other Christians, coming to worship as she can, and attends some of the social get togethers, yet she is filled with a longing that isn't being filled.  I have tried gently to lead her to her own personal study of the Word of God.  I have prayed she will realize that people will never fill her, in fact they will fail her.  Only by coming to the food of the Word, the soul strengthening food that fills and strengthens, will she find the hope, peace, and contentment that evades her.  But until she can find her own food, I believe it is up to others farther along in the faith to set the food before her.

It was this realization that made me want to feed the birds in the winter.  There are some seasons it is easy for them to be fed, and others seasons, in particular winter,  when it is much more difficult for them to find food.  I believe the same can be said of us humans as well.

And so, it was with much excitement that the bird feeder was set up.   I just knew that almost instantly the birds would flock to the feeder.  Daily I was met with disappointment, not a single bird had come to my feeder.  It was just outside my kitchen window, so many many times a day I looked upon it with disappointment...no birds.  No bird was coming to the food I had lovingly and excitedly set out for them.  

I was at the point of removing the feeder or putting different feed in it, when one morning I looked out and three little finches had found the feeder!  I happened to be on the phone as I saw the birds, and shouted out with utter joy...totally abandoning the phone conversation. The person I was talking to must have thought something totally wonderful and amazing had just happened at the sound of my giddiness.  "The birds found the feeder, the birds found the feeder, they're eating the food!," I exclaimed as I returned to the conversation.  This person understood and forgave my inattention to our conversation.  

How silly was I, I thought, to be so excited about something so little.  Or was it?  I wondered out loud to my husband who was equally happy-though not shouting out giddy as I-  that the birds had found the feeder.  "Do you think perhaps God gets as excited when we finally find the food of the Word? Do you think He patiently waits for us to come to His feeder - every day, and has such joy when we do?", I asked my husband.  

I know I will have much joy when the young Christian woman I am trying to mentor in Christ  finally gets it, when she finally discovers and goes daily to the word of God for her joy, her strength, her encouragement.   But until she does, until she finds it, I and others will put food out for her- in this hard season of her life- this winter of hers. 

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called to be Yours, O Lord, God of hosts.  Jeremiah 15:16

May we all find the words, eat of them, and let the words sink deep into our being, becoming a delightful feast.  
And while we are feasting, remember others, be it birds or people who have a hard time finding the food. 

I stood there hesitating.  I had intended to snowshoe through this undisturbed field of snow, but once there, competing thoughts rumbled through my head.

"It's easier to stay on the well worn path already made by others."
"You know, you're alone."
"Snowshoeing through undisturbed snow this deep will be a lot of work."
"Don't mess up this beautiful site by your snow shoe trail-when there are other trails to take.
"You can make a new path for others to follow."

As I listened to all these competing thoughts, a stillness overtook me. Whether I walked through the virgin snow or walked in an already established path was really of no consequence.  What mattered was to walk.  Every year up at the cabin, I take a winter walk by myself. Usually I take it at night, but the sub zero temps and my lingering head cold made me rethink the night time walk. I take this special winter walk to reflect on the past year, and refocus for the new year. I ask God for direction and for words of emphasis as I pray during my snowy winter walk.  It is a special time of silence, cold, and crunching of snow beneath my feet. And if I am really fortunate, it is a time of looking into a crystal clear night sky at the thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars.

Though it wasn't at night, this years walk didn't disappoint.  It was a beautiful bitter cold day, with the bluest sky punctuated by a scattering of feathery clouds. For this walk, I had snow shoes strapped to my feet. As I stood there looking at the pristine  undisturbed snow, I thought of walking out into that snow, and leaving a trail that others might follow.  Then my mind drifted to the paths we take in life, and how once we have stepped into a new day, or even a new minute, there is no erasing it.  Our footprint has been left, our words have been heard, our actions have been observed.  Every day, we leave a legacy.  

I've been thinking a lot lately about legacy, as my husband and I have consulted a trust attorney to set up a will.  He asks interesting questions.  What do you want to leave, and to whom?  How will you leave it?  What is most important to you?

Loosely defined a legacy is something of value left by someone in the past.   In that sense, we all leave a legacy; we all leave our footprint upon others. Whether we are young or older, every single human leaves something of themselves in whomever they encounter.  But do we leave something of lasting value, something imperishable?  

I don't want things or money or belongings to be my legacy.  I want my legacy to simply be one woman's life journey to know, love and serve the Savior.  One woman who sat at the feet of Jesus.  A woman who tried to bring light to relationships and daily encounters in her life. I also hope others see my struggles, my battles with Satan in prayer, and the triumphs; that Satan didn't win.  I hope they see forgiveness in action, both the giving of forgiveness and the many times I went to the deep well of forgiveness for the times I stumbled.    I want my legacy to point right to Jesus. I pray my footsteps  lead others to deep study of the word of God, fervent prayer, and joyful worship while serving God and others.   

To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  To be strengthened with power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  Colossians 1: 10-12

This is my aim, this is my goal, this the the imperishable gift I so long my footprints to lead to.  What about you?  What will your legacy be? Something to think about every day, whether young or old. Don't wait until you  begin to  contemplate setting up a trust or will. What IS of upmost importance to you?  Figure it out and start living your legacy this very day.  Leave footsteps to follow.

These are my mountains.  I know they aren't really mine, but they have become a personal guidepost for me. They are the mountains I look at every day through my kitchen window. They are my daily reminder of the majesty of God, the great I AM, who provides, protects and points the way in this life.  These mountains have become an ever present compass for me as well. No matter where I am, as long as I can see these mountains, I know my direction, north, south, east or west.  And during a tiny window of time every day, the magic moment as the sun is setting, they actually glow in vivid hues of purple and pink.  It's nothing short of breath taking. It never fails to still my soul.  These mountains are life giving to me -  they move me. 
 
Yet, as much as I love my mountains, I am also aware of the barriers mountains can be. I have climbed and hiked these mountains,  experiencing firsthand the challenge mountains represent.  I've been raggedly out-of-breath, I have fallen, I have gotten lost in these mountains.  During those times, they have represented something other than wonderful, they have become a trial~something to overcome~something to conquer.

As I write,  looking out the window at my beloved mountains,  I know I have other mountains, that I don't love. I have mountains within ~ mountains I have spent a lifetime trying to conquer, only to fall or lose my way sometimes.  These mountains have names:

Doubt
Fear
Pride
Self
Prejudice
Judgment

Name your mountain,  whatever it is  you struggle with.  We all have them.  And Jesus knew that.  He tells us to move our mountains.  To tell the mountain to go take a leap into the sea.  He says this in reply to the Apostles who couldn't figure out why they couldn't heal a man's epileptic son.  His reply was all about their faith, or  lack thereof.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out? He said to them, " Because of your little faith.  For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there,' and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.'    Matthew 17: 19-21

And in Mark 11: 23, Jesus says, 
"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea', and does not doubt in his heart, but believes, it will be granted to him." 

​  The morning that I read these verses, was a morning I had received some information that plunged me into doubt.  

I don't believe in coincidence.  I believe in an all powerful, all wise God, who loves me enough to get my attention, and experience has proven over and over, it is usually through scripture.  So here was this powerful passage, opening the eyes of my heart up fully, so that I had to write this question in the margin, 

"What mountain do you need to move?" 

I knew the answer.  Just as I knew it was about growing my faith. And so God and I got to work- to move a mountain. 

Moving mountains is hard spiritual work, ONLY attained through faith.  A faith that is available to anyone, who is willing to yield to God, and simply listen to Him.
Faith comes by  hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

As we listen, and as we mine through the word of God for ourselves, faith grows stronger and stronger.  We discover and apply the truths within, truths that have the power to change us, and move our mountains.  

​

I hope I will always enjoy looking intently at my mountains, especially during the magic moment; that short window of time each day - when the setting sun paints the mountain in awe inspiring hues of purple and pink.  This picture, unfiltered, doesn't even begin to do it justice.

Nor I think, do we do justice to the powerful, life changing word of God, which enables us to strengthen our faith so that we can move the mountains within.

What mountain do you need to move?    

I pray you will mine in the word of God,  getting the strength you need to cast your mountains to the sea! 

Isn't this a beautiful scene?  Who couldn't be thankful while breathing in this sight? The contrast of fall colors, the scent of a light rain, the stillness of the water and the woods is enough to sooth any soul, and bring to one's lips a simple, yet heartfelt prayer of gratitude.  When we happen upon these moments, the blissful experiences of life, gratitude comes naturally.  But what about scenes that don't trigger beauty within, experiences that quicken instead of still our heart? Is gratitude only for the sublime? 

I have been reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot titled , Keep a Quiet Heart.  In a section titled God's Curriculum, she writes several short chapters on the act of thankfulness.  In it she says,

“The mature Christian offers not just polite thanks but heartfelt thanks that springs from a far deeper source that his own pleasure. Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise necessary to the building of a healthy soul. It takes us out of the stuffiness of ourselves into the fresh breeze and sunlight of the will of God. As our faith in the character of God grows deeper we see that heavenly light is shed on everything - even on suffering- so that we are enabled to thank Him for things we never would have thought before."

I mulled over those words, blending them together with 1 Thessalonians 5: 18, 

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. 

Give thanks
in ALL circumstances
for this is God's will 
All circumstances
All
The mundane
The scary
The painful
The challenging
The disheartening
The trials of life 
The joys of life
All

Even the dreaded dentist appointment!   As trivial as it was, I knew I should practice thankfulness in the dentist chair.

And so there I was, practicing being thankful as the needles came, and the drill hit its source.  Thankful thankful thankful.  Thankful that I can afford this procedure to fix my minor cavities, as if anything is really minor in the dentist chair. Thankful that modern technology makes this less painful.  Thankful that I don't have to loose teeth. And on and on I practiced thankfulness as I was in the chair for 2 hours.

My dentist must have noticed that something was different, because at the end, he said, " You weren't tense and fighting me like you normally are, so what's up?"    I grinned, then told him I was doing some spiritual exercising while in that dentist chair,  that I was practicing thankfulness.  He looked as if he thought I was a bit 'out there'. And so I shared briefly what I had read that morning, the quote on thankfulness, and the bible verse about being thankful in all things.  He seemed to appreciate the words on thankfulness, commenting on things in his life that he could be thankful for. 

Today in a very trivial way, I was allowed to practice thankfulness, resulting not just in healthier teeth, but hopefully a healthier soul.  A soul that knows we are not just to offer thanks for the good things, for the pleasant, or the sublime, but also for what is perceived as unpleasant, as challenging, as scary.  And that, whoo boy, that takes a lot of work. Hard, gut wrenching work.  There is no free ride to having a healthy soul.  But the path there IS most certainly through praising God and offering sincere thankfulness ~ in all things.